Norwegian Paper: iPhone 4 Works Just as Well & Bad as Competing Smartphones

The iPhone 4 works just as well and just as bad as competing smartphones, at least in Norway, according to Oslo-based newspaper Verdens Gang, which tested the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, HTC Wildfire, and Nokia E71 on the outskirts of Norwegian carrier Telenor’s network. The newspaper’s conclusion (Google translation) is that all of the smartphones suffered the same possibility for signal attenuation, and pointed to AT&T’s network as the possible source of problems in the U.S.

The newspaper took the devices to the edge of coverage and found that each of the four phones got one bar of signal strength when held, “in an airy grip between two fingers.” When held in a death grip, each of the four devices also lost that single bar of signal.

All four phones were able to conduct a phone conversation with one bar of signal strength, but both of the iPhone models had lower sound quality than the Nokia and HTC devices. All four devices were able to conduct their conversation “smoothly.”

The iPhone 4, however, was the only one of the devices able to download a Web page — the other three devices, including the iPhone 3GS said there was no service available, despite having one signal bar of strength in the test location.

The newspaper’s information conclusion was that complaints in the U.S. may well be related to AT&T, which the reporters claimed is less robust than Norway’s carrier networks.